Eurovision Song Contest 2024

(Redirected from Eurovision 2024)

The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 was the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Malmö, Sweden, following the country's victory at the 2023 contest with the song "Tattoo" by Loreen. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT), the contest was held at the Malmö Arena, and consisted of two semi-finals, on 7 and 9 May, and a final on 11 May 2024. The three live shows were presented by Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman, with Mede having previously taken on the role in 2013 and 2016.

Eurovision Song Contest 2024
United by Music
Dates
Semi-final 17 May 2024
Semi-final 29 May 2024
Final11 May 2024
Host
VenueMalmö Arena
Malmö, Sweden
Presenter(s)
Directed by
  • Robin Hofwander
  • Daniel Jelinek
  • Fredrik Bäcklund
Executive supervisorMartin Österdahl
Executive producer
  • Ebba Adielsson
  • Christel Tholse Willers
Host broadcasterSveriges Television (SVT)
Websiteeurovision.tv/event/malmo-2024 Edit this at Wikidata
Participants
Number of entries37
Number of finalists25[a]
Debuting countriesNone
Returning countries Luxembourg
Disqualified countries Netherlands
Non-returning countries Romania
  • A coloured map of the countries of EuropePortugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Slovakia in the Eurovision Song ContestAustria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Hungary in the Eurovision Song ContestCroatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Eurovision Song ContestMontenegro in the Eurovision Song ContestSerbia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024North Macedonia in the Eurovision Song ContestGreece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song ContestRomania in the Eurovision Song ContestMoldova in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Belarus in the Eurovision Song ContestAustralia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Russia in the Eurovision Song ContestGeorgia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Azerbaijan in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Turkey in the Eurovision Song ContestCyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Morocco in the Eurovision Song ContestLiechtenstein in the Eurovision Song ContestAndorra in the Eurovision Song ContestMonaco in the Eurovision Song ContestPoland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Czech Republic in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024Lebanon in the Eurovision Song ContestTunisia in the Eurovision Song Contest
         Finalist countries     Country that qualified from the semi-finals, but was disqualified prior to the final     Countries eliminated in the semi-finals     Countries that participated in the past but not in 2024
Vote
Voting systemEach country awards one set in the semi-finals, and two sets in the final, of 12, 10, 8–1 points to ten songs.
In all three shows, online votes from viewers in non-participating countries are aggregated and awarded as one set of points.
Winning song  Switzerland
"The Code"
2023 ← Eurovision Song Contest → 2025

Thirty-seven countries participated in the contest, the same number as in 2023. Romania opted not to participate, and Luxembourg competed for the first time since 1993. The Netherlands was disqualified from the contest between the second semi-final and the final, but the country retained its right to vote. The inclusion of Israel among the participants in the context of the Israel–Hamas war was met with controversy, and additional security measures were put in place for the event.

The winner was Switzerland with the song "The Code", performed by the Swiss singer Nemo and written by them with Benjamin Alasu, Lasse Midtsian Nymann, and Linda Dale. Switzerland won the combined vote and jury vote, and placed fifth in the televote. Croatia won the televote and finished in second place, its best result to date as an independent country. Ukraine, France, and Israel completed the top five.

The EBU reported that the contest had a television audience of 163 million viewers in 37 European markets, an increase of a million viewers from the previous edition, with an additional 7.3 million viewers online on YouTube.[1]

Location

Malmö Arena – host venue of the 2024 contest
Location of host venue (red) and other contest-related sites and events (blue)

The 2024 contest took place in Malmö, Sweden, following the country's victory at the 2023 contest with the song "Tattoo", performed by Loreen.[2] It was the seventh time Sweden had hosted the contest, having previously done so in 1975, 1985, 1992, 2000, 2013, and 2016. The venue for the contest was the 15,500-seat Malmö Arena, which had previously hosted the contest in 2013.[3]

The Malmö Live event centre hosted several events related to the contest. It was the venue for the "Turquoise Carpet" event on 5 May 2024, where the contestants and their delegations[b] were presented before accredited press and fans, and the opening and closing ceremonies.[5][6] The venue also hosted screenings of the live shows,[7] and was the location of the EuroClub, which hosted the official after-parties and private performances by contest participants.

A Eurovision Village was created in Folkets Park [sv]. It hosted performances by contest participants[c] and local artists, as well as screenings of the live shows for the general public. A "Eurovision Street" was established on Friisgatan [sv], stretching from Triangeln station to the Eurovision Village in Folkets Park.[6][9] Planned street music performances were affected by the withdrawal of several artists due to Israel's participation in the contest and were ultimately transferred to the Eurovision Village for security reasons.[10][11][12] The Euro Fan Café, organised by the fan organisation OGAE, was located at Amiralen [sv].[6][13][14]

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of ABBA's victory at the contest in 1974 with "Waterloo", which was also Sweden's first win, a special ABBA World exhibition was held at Södergatan [sv] between 29 April and 12 May 2024.[15]

Bidding phase

The location of the host city Malmö (in blue), shortlisted cities (in green), other bidding cities (in red) and cities and towns that expressed interest but ultimately did not bid (in grey)

After Sweden's win in the 2023 contest, the municipalities of Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, Eskilstuna, Jönköping, Örnsköldsvik, Partille and Sandviken expressed interest in hosting the 2024 edition.[16] Host broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT) set a deadline of 12 June 2023 for interested cities to formally apply.[17] By 13 June, it had received bids from Stockholm,[18] Gothenburg,[17] Malmö,[19] and Örnsköldsvik.[20] On 7 July, Gothenburg and Örnsköldsvik's bids were eliminated.[21] Later that day, the EBU and SVT announced Malmö as the host city.[2][22]

Key:
 †  Host city *  Shortlisted ^  Submitted a bid

CityVenueNotesReferences
EskilstunaStiga Sports ArenaHosted the Second Chance round of Melodifestivalen in 2020. Did not meet the EBU requirements of capacity.[23]
Gothenburg ^ScandinaviumHosted the Eurovision Song Contest 1985. Roof needed adjustments for the lighting equipment. Set for demolition after the construction of a new sports facility nearby is completed.[17][21][24][25][26][27]
JönköpingHusqvarna GardenHosted the heats of Melodifestivalen in 2007. Did not meet the EBU requirements of capacity.[28][29]
Malmö Malmö ArenaHosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2013.[30][31]
Örnsköldsvik ^Hägglunds ArenaHosted the heats of Melodifestivalen in 2007, 2010, 2014, 2018 and the semi-final in 2023.[21][32]
PartillePartille ArenaHosted Eurovision Choir 2019. Did not meet the EBU requirements of capacity.[33]
SandvikenGöransson ArenaHosted one heat of Melodifestivalen in 2010. Plans included the cooperation of other municipalities in Gävleborg.[34][35]
Stockholm *Friends ArenaHosted all but one final of Melodifestivalen since 2013. Preferred venue of the Stockholm City Council.[36][37][38][39][40][41]
Tele2 Arena
Temporary arenaProposal set around building a temporary arena in Frihamnen [sv], motivated by the production needs of the contest and difficulties in finding vacant venues during the required weeks.

Participating countries

Eurovision Song Contest 2024 – Participation summaries by country
A group of participating artists of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 at the Eurovision in Concert pre-party event in Amsterdam, April 2024

Eligibility for participation in the Eurovision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with an active EBU membership capable of receiving the contest via the Eurovision network and broadcasting it live nationwide. The EBU issues invitations to participate in the contest to all active members.

On 5 December 2023, the EBU announced that 37 countries would participate in the 2024 contest. Luxembourg returned to the contest 31 years after its last participation in 1993. Romania, which participated in the 2023 contest, was provisionally announced as not participating in 2024.[42][43] This was confirmed on 25 January 2024.[44][45]

The contest features two returning artists: Natalia Barbu and Hera Björk, who previously represented Moldova in 2007 and Iceland in 2010, respectively.[46][47]

Other countries

Active EBU member broadcasters in Andorra,[86] Bosnia and Herzegovina,[87] Monaco[88] and Slovakia[89] confirmed non-participation prior to the announcement of the participants list by the EBU. The Romanian broadcaster, TVR, remained in talks with the EBU until 25 January 2024, but decided not to participate for financial reasons.[42][45]

Production

The exterior of the Malmö Arena, the host venue, during the Eurovision event weeks

The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 was produced by the Swedish national broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT). The core team consisted of Ebba Adielsson as executive producer, Christel Tholse Willers [sv] as deputy executive producer, Tobias Åberg as executive in charge of production, Johan Bernhagen as executive line producer, Christer Björkman as contest producer, and Per Blankens [sv] as TV producer. Additional production personnel included head of production David Wessén, head of legal Mats Lindgren, head of media Madeleine Sinding-Larsen, and executive assistant Linnea Lopez.[90][91][92]

Edward af Sillén and Daniel Réhn [sv] wrote the script for the live shows' hosting segments and the opening and interval acts,[93] while Robin Hofwander, Daniel Jelinek and Fredrik Bäcklund served as multi-camera directors.[94] Background music for the shows was composed by Eirik Røland and Johan Nilsson.[95][96] A majority of the production personnel for 2024 previously worked in the previous three editions of the contest held in Sweden: 2000, 2013 and 2016.

Malmö Municipality contributed SEK 30 million (approximately 2.5 million) to the budget of the contest.[97][98]

Slogan and visual design

The graphic design of the 2024 contest on display in Malmö

On 14 November 2023, the EBU announced that "United by Music", the slogan of the 2023 contest, would be retained for 2024 and future editions.[99] The accompanying theme art for 2024, named "The Eurovision Lights", was unveiled on 14 December. Designed by Stockholm-based agencies Uncut and Bold Scandinavia, it was based on simple, linear gradients inspired by vertical lines found on auroras and sound equalisers, and was built with adaptability across different formats taken into account.[100][101][102]

Stage design

The stage in the arena

The stage design for the 2024 contest, revealed in December 2023, was devised by German production designer Florian Wieder, who had previously designed the sets of six previous contests – the most recent being in 2021. Lighting and screen content was designed by Swedish designer Fredrik Stormby. The stage featured five movable LED cubes, floors and a backdrop screen along with other lighting, video and stagecraft technology, all set around a cross-shaped centre, with the aim of "creating a unique 360-degree experience" for viewers.[103] The green room was placed behind the backdrop screen, in a similar fashion to the stages for the 2010 and 2011 contests.[104] Construction of the stage began on 2 April and concluded on 25 April.[105]

Postcards

The "postcards" are short video introductions shown on television while the stage is being prepared for the next entry. Filmed from November 2023 to May 2024, the postcards were composed of footage shot by the participating artists through "selfie-mode", introducing the artists themselves and the country they represent. Archival footage of two of a country's previous entries was also used in each postcard.[106][107] During the interval of the final, the postcards were parodied by presenter Petra Mede, with archival footage from her previous hostings in 2013 and 2016 being featured.[108][109]

Featured entries
CountryEntries[110][111]
YearArtistSong
 Albania2009Kejsi Tola"Carry Me in Your Dreams"
2012Rona Nishliu"Suus"
 Armenia2009Inga and Anush"Jan Jan" (Ջան Ջան)
2022Rosa Linn"Snap"
 Australia2015Guy Sebastian"Tonight Again"
2019Kate Miller-Heidke"Zero Gravity"
 Austria2014Conchita Wurst"Rise Like a Phoenix"
2018Cesár Sampson"Nobody but You"
 Azerbaijan2009Aysel and Arash"Always"
2011Ell and Nikki"Running Scared"
 Belgium1986Sandra Kim"J'aime la vie"
2015Loïc Nottet"Rhythm Inside"
 Croatia1999Doris Dragović"Marija Magdalena"
2023Let 3"Mama ŠČ!"
 Cyprus1997Hara and Andreas Konstantinou"Mana mou" (Μάνα μου)
2012Ivi Adamou"La La Love"
 Czechia2018Mikolas Josef"Lie to Me"
2022We Are Domi"Lights Off"
 Denmark1988Hot Eyes"Ka' du se hva' jeg sa'"
2000Olsen Brothers"Fly on the Wings of Love"
 Estonia2001Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL"Everybody"
2009Urban Symphony"Rändajad"
 Finland1994CatCat"Bye Bye Baby"
2023Käärijä"Cha Cha Cha"
 France1977Marie Myriam"L'Oiseau et l'Enfant"
2021Barbara Pravi"Voilà"
 Georgia2007Sopho"Visionary Dream"
2015Nina Sublatti"Warrior"
 Germany1994Mekado"Wir geben 'ne Party"
2010Lena"Satellite"
 Greece1974Marinella"Krasi, thalassa kai t' agori mou"
(Κρασί, θάλασσα και τ' αγόρι μου)
2005Helena Paparizou"My Number One"
 Iceland1986ICY"Gleðibankinn"
2021Daði og Gagnamagnið"10 Years"
 Ireland1987Johnny Logan"Hold Me Now"
2011Jedward"Lipstick"
 Israel1991Duo Datz"Kan" (כאן)
1998Dana International"Diva" (דיווה)
 Italy1987Umberto Tozzi and Raf"Gente di mare"
2021Måneskin"Zitti e buoni"
 Latvia2002Marie N"I Wanna"
2015Aminata"Love Injected"
 Lithuania2012Donny Montell"Love Is Blind"
2021The Roop"Discoteque"
 Luxembourg1965France Gall"Poupée de cire, poupée de son"
1988Lara Fabian"Croire"
 Malta1998Chiara"The One That I Love"
2021Destiny"Je me casse"
 Moldova2005Zdob și Zdub"Boonika bate doba"
2010SunStroke Project and Olia Tira"Run Away"
 Netherlands1998Edsilia Rombley"Hemel en aarde"
2019Duncan Laurence"Arcade"
 Norway1986Ketil Stokkan"Romeo"
2009Alexander Rybak"Fairytale"
 Poland1994Edyta Górniak"To nie ja!"
2014Donatan and Cleo"My Słowianie – We Are Slavic"
 Portugal1982Doce"Bem bom"
2017Salvador Sobral"Amar pelos dois"
 San Marino2014Valentina Monetta"Maybe"
2019Serhat"Say Na Na Na"
 Serbia2007Marija Šerifović"Molitva" (Молитва)
2022Konstrakta"In corpore sano"
 Slovenia2001Nuša Derenda"Energy"
2019Zala Kralj and Gašper Šantl"Sebi"
 Spain1968Massiel"La La La"
2022Chanel"SloMo"
 Sweden1983Carola"Främling"
2023Loreen"Tattoo"
  Switzerland1988Celine Dion"Ne partez pas sans moi"
2021Gjon's Tears"Tout l'univers"
 Ukraine2004Ruslana"Wild Dances"
2021Go_A"Shum" (Шум)
 United Kingdom1967Sandie Shaw"Puppet on a String"
2022Sam Ryder"Space Man"

Presenters

Malin Åkerman and Petra Mede, presenters of the 2024 contest

Swedish comedian and television host Petra Mede and Swedish-American actress Malin Åkerman were announced as the presenters of the 2024 contest on 5 February 2024. Mede had previously hosted both the 2013 and 2016 editions (solo and with Måns Zelmerlöw, respectively), as well as the 2015 special anniversary programme Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits alongside Graham Norton.[112] The "Turquoise Carpet" and opening ceremony events were hosted by Elecktra and Tia Kofi,[113] while Jovan Radomir moderated the contest's press conferences.[114]

Security

In November 2023, the production team at SVT stated its intention to increase security measures and to keep in contact with Malmö's police authority during the contest, citing a tense climate of protest amid Israel's participation.[115] This included police reinforcement from Denmark and Norway, tightened cybersecurity, and a no-fly zone to prevent drone attacks,[116][117][118] as well as adjustments to the number of locations set to host side events. Through social media content, Israeli broadcaster Kan also expressed concerns over alleged antisemitism in Malmö, attributing this to the "Islamisation of Europe".[119] Additional measures were taken to protect the Israeli delegation, with the representative Eden Golan being escorted by Shin Bet agents in addition to local police officers following death threats directed at her via social media.[120] Shin Bet also advised Israeli citizens against travelling to Malmö and sent there a delegation, headed by its director Ronen Bar, to prevent potential threats against them.[121] Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in Malmö to protest against Israel's participation in the competition.[122][123][124]

SVT's decision was made in the context of a high terroristic threat level in Sweden, with the Swedish Security Service (SÄPO) having raised the level from 3 to 4 out of 5 in August 2023, primarily in response to the 2023 Quran burnings in the country and prior to the Israel–Hamas war.[125] Concerns about the risk of terrorist attacks resurged in the wake of the Crocus City Hall attack outside Moscow on 22 March 2024.[119] In the event of an emergency, Malmö Municipality would provide accommodations in local schools and sports facilities as well as psychological support.[126][127]

Format

Voting system and contest structure

After the outcome of the 2023 contest, which saw Sweden win, despite Finland's lead in the televoting, sparked controversy among the audience, Norwegian broadcaster NRK began discussions with the EBU regarding a potential revision of the jury voting procedure. It was noted that Norwegian entries in recent years had been penalised by the juries, particularly in 2019 and 2023, when Norway finished in sixth and fifth place overall, respectively, despite coming first in 2019 and third in 2023 with the televote.[128] In an interview, the Norwegian head of delegation Stig Karlsen [no] discussed the idea of reducing the jury's weight on the final score, from the current 49.4%, to 40% or 30%.[129][130] No changes to the voting system were ultimately implemented in this regard.[131]

For 2024, the "Rest of the World" voting window was open for 24 hours before each show, as well as during each show. For participating countries, it was open after the last song is performed – as in previous years – in the semi-finals. In the final, it was opened just before the first performance and closed 25 minutes after the last performance.[f][132] The automatic qualifiers – the host country and the "Big Five" – performed their entries in full during the semi-finals, in between the competing acts.[132] Following an incident which ultimately led to the disqualification of the Dutch representative, the opening of the "Rest of the World" voting window for the final was delayed until eight hours before the show.[133]

Thirteen of the twenty-five open positions in the running order of the final will be subject to a "producer's choice" draw option, alongside six positions available each, for the first half and second half of the show. For those countries which draw the "producer's choice" category, the contest producers will be able to place that country anywhere in the running order.[134] The runtime of the final was initially planned to be reduced by approximately an hour.[135][136] This was ultimately not a priority, with the final planned to be shortened by a maximum of five minutes.[137]

Semi-final allocation draw

Results of the semi-final allocation draw
  Participating countries in the first semi-final
  Pre-qualified for the final but also voting in the first semi-final
  Participating countries in the second semi-final
  Pre-qualified for the final but also voting in the second semi-final

The draw to determine the participating countries' semi-finals took place on 30 January 2024 at 19:00 CET, at the Malmö Town Hall [sv].[138][139] The thirty-one semi-finalists were divided over five pots, based on historical voting patterns, with the purpose of reducing the chance of bloc voting and increasing suspense in the semi-finals.[140][141] The draw also determined which semi-final each of the six automatic qualifiers – host country Sweden and "Big Five" countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) – would vote in and be required to broadcast. The ceremony was hosted by Pernilla Månsson Colt and Farah Abadi, and included the passing of the host city insignia from Steve Rotheram, the mayor of the Liverpool City Region and representative of previous host city Liverpool, to Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, the mayor of Malmö Municipality.[141][142][139]

With the approval from the contest's reference group, Israel was allocated to the second semi-final following a request from Israeli broadcaster Kan, as the rehearsal date for the first semi-final coincided with Yom HaShoah.[143]

Pot 1Pot 2Pot 3Pot 4Pot 5

Contest overview

Semi-final 1

Eric Saade and Chanel performed as part of the opening act, while Benjamin Ingrosso performed as an interval act in the first semi-final.

The first semi-final took place on 7 May 2024 at 21:00 CEST[144] and featured fifteen competing countries. Those countries, plus Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom, as well as non-participating countries under an aggregated "Rest of the World" vote, voted in this semi-final.[145] The running order (R/O) was determined by the contest producers and was announced publicly on 26 March.[146] In addition to the competing entries, the United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden performed their entries during the show, appearing on stage after the entries from Ireland, Iceland and Moldova, respectively.[132] Croatia was awarded the most points in the semi-final, and qualified for the final alongside, in order of points total, Ukraine, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Finland, Portugal, Slovenia, and Serbia. The countries that failed to reach the final were Australia, Poland, Moldova, Azerbaijan, and Iceland.[147]

This semi-final was opened by former participants Eleni Foureira, Eric Saade and Chanel, who performed their respective competing songs – "Fuego" (Cyprus 2018), "Popular" (Sweden 2011) and "SloMo" (Spain 2022).[148] The interval acts included three-time winner for Ireland (1980, 1987 and 1992) Johnny Logan performing the 2012 Swedish winning entry "Euphoria",[149][150] and 2018 Swedish entrant Benjamin Ingrosso performing a medley of his songs "Look Who's Laughing Now", "Kite" and "Honey Boy".[151][150]

  Qualifiers
First semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024[147]
R/OCountryArtistSongPointsPlace
1  CyprusSilia Kapsis"Liar"676
2  SerbiaTeya Dora"Ramonda"4710
3  LithuaniaSilvester Belt"Luktelk"1194
4  IrelandBambie Thug"Doomsday Blue"1243
5  UkraineAlyona Alyona and Jerry Heil"Teresa & Maria"1732
6  PolandLuna"The Tower"3512
7  CroatiaBaby Lasagna"Rim Tim Tagi Dim"1771
8  IcelandHera Björk"Scared of Heights"315
9  SloveniaRaiven"Veronika"519
10  FinlandWindows95man[d]"No Rules!"597
11  MoldovaNatalia Barbu"In the Middle"2013
12  AzerbaijanFahree feat. Ilkin Dovlatov"Özünlə apar"1114
13  AustraliaElectric Fields"One Milkali (One Blood)"4111
14  PortugalIolanda"Grito"588
15  LuxembourgTali"Fighter"1175

Semi-final 2

Sarah Dawn Finer (in character as Lynda Woodruff), presenter Petra Mede, and Charlotte Perrelli performed the musical number "We Just Love Eurovision Too Much" as an interval act in the second semi-final.

The second semi-final took place on 9 May 2024 at 21:00 CEST[144] and features sixteen competing countries. Those countries plus France, Italy and Spain, as well as non-participating countries under an aggregated "Rest of the World" vote, voted in this semi-final.[145] The running order (R/O) was determined by the contest producers and was announced publicly on 26 March.[146] In addition to the competing entries, France, Spain and Italy performed their entries during the show, appearing on stage after the entries from Czechia, Latvia and Estonia, respectively.[132] Israel was awarded the most points in the semi-final, and qualified for the final alongside, in order of points total, the Netherlands, Armenia, Switzerland, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Georgia, Austria, and Norway. The countries that failed to reach the final were Czechia, Denmark, Belgium, San Marino, Albania, and Malta.[152]

This semi-final was opened by a pre-recorded segment, in which presenters Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman performed the 2023 winning song "Tattoo" with minor lyrical changes.[153][154] The interval acts included Helena Paparizou, Charlotte Perrelli and Sertab Erener performing their respective winning songs – "My Number One" (Greece 2005), "Take Me to Your Heaven" (Sweden 1999) and "Everyway That I Can" (Turkey 2003) – with the audience taking part in a sing-along;[151] and "We Just Love Eurovision Too Much", a musical number performed by Mede that satirised various aspects of the contest and Sweden's success in the event, with appearances by Perrelli, Sarah Dawn Finer reprising her role as Lynda Woodruff, and 2023 Finnish representative Käärijä performing an excerpt of his competing song "Cha Cha Cha". 1984 winners for Sweden, Herreys, performed their winning song "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" after the qualifiers were announced.[155][156][157]

  Qualifiers
Second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024[152]
R/OCountryArtistSongPointsPlace
1  MaltaSarah Bonnici"Loop"1316
2  AlbaniaBesa"Titan"1415
3  GreeceMarina Satti"Zari"865
4   SwitzerlandNemo"The Code"1324
5  CzechiaAiko"Pedestal"3811
6  AustriaKaleen"We Will Rave"469
7  DenmarkSaba"Sand"3612
8  ArmeniaLadaniva"Jako"1373
9  LatviaDons"Hollow"727
10  San MarinoMegara"11:11"1614
11  GeorgiaNutsa Buzaladze"Firefighter"548
12  BelgiumMustii"Before the Party's Over"1813
13  Estonia5miinust and Puuluup"(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi"796
14  IsraelEden Golan"Hurricane"1941
15  NorwayGåte"Ulveham"4310
16  NetherlandsJoost Klein"Europapa"1822

Final

Charlotte Perrelli, Carola, and Conchita Wurst performed "Waterloo" as an interval act in the final.

The final took place on 11 May 2024 at 21:00 CEST[144] and featured 25 competing countries. All 37 participating countries with jury and televote, as well as non-participating countries under an aggregated "Rest of the World" online vote, voted in the final. The running order (R/O) of the host nation was determined by a random draw on 11 March during the annual meeting of heads of the participating delegations.[158] The running order for the remaining finalists was determined by the contest producers following the second semi-final.[159] Despite qualifying for the final, where it was set to perform in position 5, the Netherlands was disqualified due to a backstage incident between its entrant Joost Klein and a member of the production team.[160] It retained the right to vote in the final,[161] and all countries that were set to perform after the Netherlands retained their running order numbers.[162]

Switzerland won the contest with the song "The Code", performed by Nemo and written by them along with Benjamin Alasu, Lasse Midtsian Nymann, and Linda Dale. Switzerland won with 591 points, also winning the jury vote. It was the country's third win in the contest, following victories in the inaugural edition in 1956 and in 1988. Croatia came second with 547 points and won the televote, with Ukraine, France, Israel, Ireland, Italy, Armenia, Sweden, and Portugal completing the top ten. Georgia, Spain, Slovenia, Austria, and Norway occupied the bottom five positions.[163][164]

The final was opened by Björn Skifs performing "Hooked on a Feeling", followed by the flag parade, introducing all twenty-five finalists, set to a medley of well-known Swedish hits.[h] In a pre-recorded segment during a break between the competing performances, Sarah Dawn Finer as Lynda Woodruff performed a song about the contest's executive supervisor Martin Österdahl, "You're Good to Go",[165] which was later released as a single.[166] The interval acts included Alcazar performing "Crying at the Discoteque";[167] a tribute performance of the 1974 Swedish winning song "Waterloo" by three past winners – Carola (Sweden 1991), Charlotte Perrelli (Sweden 1999) and Conchita Wurst (Austria 2014)[168] – preceded by a pre-recorded segment from the ABBA Voyage concert residency in London in which the song's original performers, ABBA, as their virtual avatar selves in the concert, discussed their Eurovision experience on the occasion of its 50th anniversary;[169][170] and Loreen performing her new single "Forever" and her 2023 winning song "Tattoo".[171][165][172] Following a reprise of their winning song, Nemo broke the trophy,[173][174] although its design had been strengthened after the one presented to Alexander Rybak in 2009 met a similar fate.[175]

  Winner
 Disqualified
Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024[176]
R/OCountryArtistSongPointsPlace
1  SwedenMarcus & Martinus"Unforgettable"1749
2  UkraineAlyona Alyona and Jerry Heil"Teresa & Maria"4533
3  GermanyIsaak"Always on the Run"11712
4  LuxembourgTali"Fighter"10313
5  NetherlandsJoost Klein"Europapa"
6  IsraelEden Golan"Hurricane"3755
7  LithuaniaSilvester Belt"Luktelk"9014
8  SpainNebulossa"Zorra"3022
9  Estonia5miinust and Puuluup"(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi"3720
10  IrelandBambie Thug"Doomsday Blue"2786
11  LatviaDons"Hollow"6416
12  GreeceMarina Satti"Zari"12611
13  United KingdomOlly Alexander"Dizzy"4618
14  NorwayGåte"Ulveham"1625
15  ItalyAngelina Mango"La noia"2687
16  SerbiaTeya Dora"Ramonda"5417
17  FinlandWindows95man[d]"No Rules!"3819
18  PortugalIolanda"Grito"15210
19  ArmeniaLadaniva"Jako"1838
20  CyprusSilia Kapsis"Liar"7815
21   SwitzerlandNemo"The Code"5911
22  SloveniaRaiven"Veronika"2723
23  CroatiaBaby Lasagna"Rim Tim Tagi Dim"5472
24  GeorgiaNutsa Buzaladze"Firefighter"3421
25  FranceSlimane"Mon amour"4454
26  AustriaKaleen"We Will Rave"2424

Spokespersons

The spokespersons announced the 12-point score from their respective country's national jury in the following order:[177]

  1.  Ukraine – Jamala
  2.  United Kingdom – Joanna Lumley
  3.  Luxembourg – Désirée Nosbusch
  4.  Azerbaijan – Aysel Teymurzadeh
  5.  San Marino – Kida
  6.  Malta – Matt Blxck
  7.  Croatia – Ivan Dorian Molnar
  8.  Albania – Andri Xhahu
  9.  Czechia – Radka Rosická [cs]
  10.  Israel – Maya Alkulumbre [he]
  11.  Australia – Danny Estrin
  12.  Denmark – Stéphanie Surrugue [da]
  13.  Spain – Soraya Arnelas
  14.  Norway – Ingvild Helljesen[178]
  15.  Germany – Ina Müller
  16.  Armenia – Brunette
  17.  Slovenia – Lorella Flego
  18.  Georgia – Sopho Khalvashi
  19.   Switzerland – Jennifer Bosshard
  20.  Moldova – Doina Stimpovschi
  21.  Greece – Helena Paparizou
  22.  Estonia – Birgit
  23.  Netherlands – None[i]
  24.  Austria – Philipp Hansa
  25.  France – Natasha St-Pier
  26.  Italy – Mario Acampa [it]
  27.  Finland – Toni Laaksonen [fi][180]
  28.  Portugal – Mimicat
  29.  Belgium – Livia Dushkoff
  30.  Iceland – Friðrik Ómar Hjörleifsson
  31.  Latvia – Andrejs Reinis Zitmanis
  32.  Ireland – Paul Harrington
  33.  Poland – Viki Gabor
  34.  Cyprus – Loukas Hamatsos
  35.  Lithuania – Monika Linkytė
  36.  Serbia – Konstrakta
  37.  Sweden – Frans

Detailed results

Semi-final 1

The ten qualifiers from the first semi-final were determined solely by televoting. All fifteen countries competing in the first semi-final voted, alongside Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the aggregated Rest of the World vote. The ten qualifying countries were announced in no particular order, and the full results were published after the final was held.

  Qualifiers
Detailed voting results of the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024[147]
Voting procedure used:
  100% Televoting
Total score
Cyprus
Serbia
Lithuania
Ireland
Ukraine
Poland
Croatia
Iceland
Slovenia
Finland
Moldova
Azerbaijan
Australia
Portugal
Luxembourg
Germany
Sweden
United Kingdom
Rest of the World
Contestants
Cyprus67414472121278411
Serbia475121051554
Lithuania11910212107376723641085125
Ireland124678886348561076661010
Ukraine17312612812810810101081281010712
Poland35473811236
Croatia17771210101210121212871267121288
Iceland312
Slovenia5121034103413317
Finland596565563523841
Moldova203324125
Azerbaijan11111116
Australia41242251234452
Portugal58455323212434212123
Luxembourg1178876767556784107736

12 points

Below is a summary of all 12 points received in the first semi-final. Croatia received the maximum score of 12 points from eight countries, while Ukraine received five sets of 12 points. Both Lithuania and Cyprus received two sets of 12 points, while Portugal and Serbia received one each.

12 points awarded in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024[181]
#RecipientCountries giving 12 points
8  Croatia  Australia,  Finland,  Germany,  Iceland,  Serbia,  Slovenia,  Sweden,  Ukraine
5  Ukraine  Cyprus,  Lithuania,  Poland,  Portugal, Rest of the World
2  Lithuania  Ireland,  United Kingdom
 Cyprus  Azerbaijan,  Moldova
1  Portugal  Luxembourg
 Serbia  Croatia

Semi-final 2

The ten qualifiers from the second semi-final were determined solely by televoting, with the exception of San Marino who were unable to provide a valid televote result and thus used the votes of their back-up jury.[citation needed] All sixteen countries competing in the second semi-final voted, alongside France, Italy, Spain, and the aggregated Rest of the World vote. The ten qualifying countries were announced in no particular order, and the full results of how each country voted were published after the final was held.

  Qualifiers
Detailed voting results of the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024[152]
Voting procedure used:
  100% Televoting
  100% Jury vote
Total score
Malta
Albania
Greece
Switzerland
Czechia
Austria
Denmark
Armenia
Latvia
San Marino
Georgia
Belgium
Estonia
Israel
Norway
Netherlands
France
Italy
Spain
Rest of the World
Contestants
Malta133541
Albania145324
Greece8668842212683164655
Switzerland13285788677125774788846
Czechia3825113642531221
Austria46344423421138223
Denmark361233475110
Armenia13756867655812641251010778
Latvia727754737512636
San Marino1631102
Georgia5447611102166514
Belgium182112255
Estonia79325674212141047237
Israel1941012101212101261010108121212121212
Norway4311386536433
Netherlands1821210121010121088108121078710810

12 points

Below is a summary of all 12 points received in the second semi-final. Israel received the maximum score of 12 points from ten countries, followed by the Netherlands which received four sets of 12 points. Armenia received two sets of 12 points, and Switzerland, Greece and Latvia were each awarded one set of 12 points.[152]

12 points awarded in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024[152]
#RecipientCountries giving 12 points
10  Israel  Albania,  Czechia,  Denmark,  France,  Italy,  Netherlands,  Norway, Rest of the World,  Spain,   Switzerland
4  Netherlands  Austria,  Belgium,  Greece,  Malta
2  Armenia  Georgia,  Israel
1   Switzerland  San Marino
 Greece  Armenia
 Latvia  Estonia
 Estonia  Latvia

Final

The results of the final were determined by televoting and jury voting in all thirty-seven participating countries, plus the Rest of the World aggregate public vote. The announcement of the jury points was conducted by each country individually, with the country's spokesperson announcing their jury's favorite entry that received 12 points, with the remaining points shown on screen. Following the completion of the jury points announcement, the public points were announced as an aggregate by the contest hosts in ascending order starting from the country which received the fewest points from the jury.[182]

  Winner
 Disqualified
Split results[163]
PlaceCombinedJuryTelevoting
CountryPointsCountryPointsCountryPoints
1   Switzerland591   Switzerland365  Croatia337
2  Croatia547  France218  Israel323
3  Ukraine453  Croatia210  Ukraine307
4  France445  Italy164  France227
5  Israel375  Ukraine146   Switzerland226
6  Ireland278  Ireland142  Ireland136
7  Italy268  Portugal139  Italy104
8  Armenia183  Sweden125  Greece85
9  Sweden174  Armenia101  Armenia82
10  Portugal152  Germany99  Lithuania58
11  Greece126  Luxembourg83  Sweden49
12  Germany117  Israel52  Cyprus44
13  Luxembourg103  United Kingdom46  Estonia33
14  Lithuania90  Greece41  Serbia32
15  Cyprus78  Latvia36  Finland31
16  Latvia64  Cyprus34  Latvia28
17  Serbia54  Lithuania32  Luxembourg20
18  United Kingdom46  Serbia22  Georgia19
19  Finland38  Spain19[j]  Germany18
20  Estonia37  Austria19[j]  Portugal13
21  Georgia34  Georgia15[k]  Slovenia12
22  Spain30  Slovenia15[k]  Spain11
23  Slovenia27  Norway12  Austria5
24  Austria24  Finland7  Norway4
25  Norway16  Estonia4  United Kingdom0
 Netherlands  Netherlands  Netherlands
Detailed jury voting results of the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024[163]
  • Voting procedure used:
  •   100% Televoting
  •   100% Jury vote
Total score
Jury vote score
Televoting score
Jury vote
Ukraine
United Kingdom
Luxembourg
Azerbaijan
San Marino
Malta
Croatia
Albania
Czechia
Israel
Australia
Denmark
Spain
Norway
Germany
Armenia
Slovenia
Georgia
Switzerland
Moldova
Greece
Estonia
Netherlands
Austria
France
Italy
Finland
Portugal
Belgium
Iceland
Latvia
Ireland
Poland
Cyprus
Lithuania
Serbia
Sweden
Contestants
Sweden174125498615228558312116673315105255
Ukraine453146307517128164452122102610861382101613
Germany1179918724151056125458432824641
Luxembourg10383201484541221352374846
Israel3755232338833535284
Lithuania90325851524177
Spain30191161471
Estonia3743322
Ireland2781421361071077871271011031061047132
Latvia643628385448112
Greece1264185724212473
United Kingdom464604234683448
Norway1612461122
Italy2681641042561086106715283761083610577367
Serbia54223231254115
Finland3873143
Portugal1521391331235112533310847468122415684
Armenia18310182288637776443763857
Cyprus7834441723162102
Switzerland591365226121012121212121051012121257101271212121251212121061212126121012
Slovenia2715123102
Croatia5472103374864103248866618887828101067812101210
Georgia34151972213
France445218227610644110710101212105677105151212103310785
Austria241957651
Detailed televoting results of the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024[163]
Voting procedure used:
  100% Televoting
  100% Jury vote
Total score
Jury vote score
Televoting score
Televote
Ukraine
United Kingdom
Luxembourg
Azerbaijan
San Marino
Malta
Croatia
Albania
Czechia
Israel
Australia
Denmark
Spain
Norway
Germany
Armenia
Slovenia
Georgia
Switzerland
Moldova
Greece
Estonia
Netherlands
Austria
France
Italy
Finland
Portugal
Belgium
Iceland
Latvia
Ireland
Poland
Cyprus
Lithuania
Serbia
Sweden
Rest of the World
Contestants
Sweden17412549123610181172115
Ukraine453146307678101287121061010883812612312878106107510812812810
Germany117991818342
Luxembourg103832012314
Israel37552323121271251010128125121108121076121012121212128710510331212
Lithuania9032587841111324148733
Spain30191121332
Estonia37433447126
Ireland278142136810424568374122422262355233625747
Latvia64362854421354
Greece126418515172423251024341241283
United Kingdom46460
Norway1612431
Italy268164104333878743633844214431432411
Serbia5422323122555
Finland3873123421811315
Portugal15213913625
Armenia183101821315613410115331042524125
Cyprus7834446451546121
Switzerland59136522612521056137756678475877867866646868676
Slovenia271512102
Croatia5472103371071012810128510128121071251076101012781078125121051012108
Georgia3415195455
France445218227628267664227576127676105566481010647771062
Austria2419532

12 points

Below is a summary of all 12 points received in the final. In the jury vote, Switzerland received the maximum score from twenty-two countries, followed by France and Portugal with four and three sets of 12 points, respectively. Croatia and Ukraine received two sets of 12 points, and Croatia, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, and Sweden were each awarded one set of 12 points. In the public vote, Israel received the maximum score of 12 points from fourteen countries and the Rest of the World vote, followed by Croatia with nine sets of 12 points, and Ukraine with seven. Cyprus, Estonia, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Serbia, and Switzerland were each awarded one set of 12 points.[163]

12 points awarded by juries in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024[163]
#RecipientCountries giving 12 points
22   Switzerland  Albania,  Austria,  Azerbaijan,  Denmark,  Estonia,  Finland,  Georgia,  Greece,  Ireland,  Italy,  Latvia,  Lithuania,  Luxembourg,  Malta,  Netherlands,  Norway,  Poland,  Portugal,  San Marino,  Spain,  Sweden,  Ukraine
4  France  Armenia,  Belgium,  Iceland,  Slovenia
3  Portugal  Croatia,  France,  United Kingdom
2  Croatia  Cyprus,  Serbia
 Ukraine  Czechia,  Moldova
1  Greece   Switzerland
 Ireland  Australia
 Luxembourg  Israel
 Sweden  Germany
12 points awarded by televoting in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024[163]
#RecipientCountries giving 12 points
15  Israel  Australia,  Belgium,  Finland,  France,  Germany,  Italy,  Luxembourg,  Netherlands,  Portugal, Rest of the World,  San Marino,  Spain,  Sweden,   Switzerland,  United Kingdom
9  Croatia  Albania,  Austria,  Azerbaijan,  Denmark,  Iceland,  Ireland,  Norway,  Serbia,  Slovenia
7  Ukraine  Czechia,  Estonia,  Georgia,  Lithuania,  Malta,  Moldova,  Poland
1  Cyprus  Greece
 Estonia  Latvia
 France  Armenia
 Greece  Cyprus
 Luxembourg  Israel
 Serbia  Croatia
  Switzerland  Ukraine

Broadcasts

All participating broadcasters may choose to have on-site or remote commentators providing insight and voting information to their local audience. Although required to show only the final and semi-final in which their country votes, most broadcasters cover both semi-finals. Some non-participating broadcasters also air the contest. The Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel provides international live streams with no commentary of all shows. According to the EBU, in total 163 million people watched at least a minute of the television broadcasts, and 7.3 million people watched the YouTube broadcasts. Votes were received from 156 countries, including the 37 competing countries.[1]

Broadcasters and commentators in other countries
CountryBroadcasterChannel(s)Show(s)Commentator(s)Ref(s)
 BrazilZappingZapping Music LiveFinalPriscila Bertozzi[327]
 ChileZappingZapping ChannelFinalRayén Araya and Ignacio Lira[328]
 KosovoRTKRTK 1, Radio Kosovo 2All showsAgron Krasniqi and Egzona Rafuna[329]
 MontenegroRTCGTVCG 1All showsDražen Bauković[330][331]
Radio 98Unknown
 North MacedoniaMRTMRT 1, Radio SkopjeAll showsAleksandra Jovanovska[332]
 PeruZappingZapping Music LiveFinalRayén Araya and Ignacio Lira[333]
 SlovakiaRTVSRádio FMFinalDaniel Baláž [sk], Lucia Haverlík, Pavol Hubinák and Juraj Malíček [sk][334][335]
 United StatesNBCPeacockAll showsNo commentator[336][337]
WJFD-FMFinalEwan Spence and Samantha Ross[338]

Other awards

In addition to the main winner's trophy, the Marcel Bezençon Awards and the You're a Vision Award were contested during the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. The OGAE (General Organisation of Eurovision Fans) voting poll also took place before the contest.

Marcel Bezençon Awards

The Marcel Bezençon Awards, organised since 2002 by Sweden's then-head of delegation and 1992 representative Christer Björkman, and winner of the 1984 contest Richard Herrey, honours songs in the contest's final.[339] The awards are divided into three categories: the Artistic Award, the Composers Award, and the Press Award.[340] The winners were revealed shortly before the Eurovision final on 11 May.[341]

CategoryCountrySongPerformer(s)Songwriter(s)
Artistic Award   Switzerland"The Code"Nemo
Composers Award
Press Award  Croatia"Rim Tim Tagi Dim"Baby Lasagna

OGAE

OGAE, an organisation of over forty Eurovision Song Contest fan clubs across Europe and beyond, conducts an annual voting poll first held in 2002 as the Marcel Bezençon Fan Award. After all votes were cast, the top-ranked entry in the 2024 poll was "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" performed by Baby Lasagna; the top five results are shown below.[342][343][344]

CountryPerformerSongOGAE result
 CroatiaBaby Lasagna"Rim Tim Tagi Dim"356
 ItalyAngelina Mango"La noia"338
  SwitzerlandNemo"The Code"290
 BelgiumMustii"Before the Party's Over"223
 FranceSlimane"Mon amour"188

You're a Vision Award

The You're a Vision Award (a word play of "Eurovision"), established in 2022 by the fansite Songfestival.be following the cancellation of the Barbara Dex Award due to its associated negative connotations, aims to "celebrate the creativity and diversity that embody the Eurovision spirit", with the winner being the one with the most notable outfit. Croatia's Baby Lasagna won the 2024 award, with Ireland's Bambie Thug and the Netherlands' Joost Klein completing the top three.[345]

PlaceCountryPerformer(s)
1  CroatiaBaby Lasagna
2  IrelandBambie Thug
3  NetherlandsJoost Klein

Incidents and controversies

The 2024 contest was deemed by some publications as a particularly controversial edition,[s] with Scottish newspaper The National writing, "it is very clear that, in the words of winner Nemo themself after their win, 'maybe Eurovision needs a little bit of fixing'."[351]

Israeli participation

The participation of Israel in the contest became controversial due to the Israel–Hamas war. There were calls for Israel to be excluded,[352] and, when the EBU rejected this, various campaigns for participants and viewers to boycott the contest.[353][354] The Israeli national selection was also controversial, with its chosen entry for the contest ultimately rewritten,[352] as the lyrics of the original version of the song, titled "October Rain", were seen as referencing the 7 October attacks, a breach of political neutrality rules; it was subsequently retitled "Hurricane".[355] Other acts dismissed the idea of boycotting but called for peace in the region.[356] Israel ultimately placed second in the televote and fifth overall in the final, with the former result being partially attributed to a campaign by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs to boost public votes.[357][358]

Onstage display of pro-Palestinian gestures

Before the first semi-final, Ireland's entrant Bambie Thug was asked to replace Ogham-script text written on their body that read 'ceasefire' and 'freedom for Palestine'; they were subsequently changed to 'crown the witch'.[350] During the opening act of the first semi-final, Eric Saade, whose father is Palestinian, performed wearing a keffiyeh. The EBU stated that his keffiyeh was a political symbol and that it regretted Saade's choice to "compromise the non-political nature of the event".[359][360]

During the final, the Portuguese entrant Iolanda wore nail art featuring Palestinian symbols, and said "peace will prevail" at the end of her performance. The Portuguese delegation later claimed that the EBU did not upload Iolanda's performance in the final to its platforms, opting to use the semi-final performance instead, due to this. The Portuguese broadcaster RTP issued a complaint to the EBU, and Iolanda's performance in the final was uploaded later during the show. The EBU stated that technical difficulties were the reason for the semi-final performance being initially uploaded instead of the final performance.[361]

Misconduct allegations

Shortly after the first semi-final, an official complaint was lodged with the EBU regarding claims that members of Israeli fan clubs, two of which were officially associated with the EBU, "[harassed] the Irish delegation at the EuroClub nightclub."[362] Unverified videos and claims were posted online purporting to show "Israeli delegates and journalists harassing other media and delegations",[363] and a Spanish reporter was allegedly harassed by Israeli media after shouting a pro-Palestinian slogan, prompting the Spanish broadcaster RTVE to request the EBU to "ensure freedom of press and opinion."[363] Ireland, Switzerland, and Greece were all absent from the flag parade of the third dress rehearsal for the final, held the afternoon before the live show. Bambie Thug stated that they were absent due to "a situation [...] which [they] felt needed urgent attention from the EBU".[364] The Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS issued two complaints to the EBU regarding an "unsafe environment in the arena".[365][366] No action was taken on the complaints during the contest.[362] According to a report by Norwegian newspaper VG, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom all considered withdrawing from the final, before reaching an agreement with the EBU 25 minutes prior to the start of the show;[367][368] Greek broadcaster ERT, head of the Swiss delegation Yves Schifferle, and Iolanda's management agency denied that the delegations were considering withdrawal, with Schifferle confirming that Nemo themself led the talks with the EBU. Magnus Børmark, guitarist for the Norwegian representatives Gåte, also confirmed that there were withdrawal talks.[369][370][371][372]

Following the contest, delegations from Serbia and Slovenia stated that they would prepare complaints to the EBU regarding the behaviour of the Israeli delegation.[373] The Portuguese delegation asked for clarification from the EBU regarding incidents that occurred during the final, supported by delegations from Croatia, France, Norway, and Spain.[374] The Israeli delegation accused other delegations and artists of "immense pressure and an unprecedented display of hatred".[375] The EBU commissioned an independent investigation into the complaints regarding the working atmosphere during the event,[376] and on 1 July 2024, it announced a number of organisational changes.[377] Among these are the creation of a contest director role to oversee the work of the executive supervisor and the newly-created head of brand and commercial, and recommendations for the appointment of a welfare producer and a crisis management team.[378]

Claims of audience audio changes

Before, during, and after Israel's performances, booing from the audience in the venue was reported. There were claims by fans that the volume of the booing in the broadcasts was lowered by anti-booing technology, and that pre-recorded applauses were played.[379] RTP's director, Nicolau Santos, as well as AVROTROS, supported these claims, and criticised the EBU's usage of the technology.[380][365] The Slovenian broadcaster RTVSLO also addressed claims of audio distortion.[381] The EBU and SVT denied these allegations, stating that they "do not censor sound from the arena audience. The same principle applies to all competing performances and opening and interval acts."[382][383] Anti-booing technology was previously used in the 2015 contest.[384]

Televoting results

At the end of the broadcast of the second semi-final, in which Italy voted, Italian broadcaster RAI displayed what appeared to be the televoting percentages recorded in the country. This contravened the rules of the contest, according to which the detailed results from all shows can only be published after the final.[385][386][387] It was later clarified by RAI that the results shown were not complete, but were in fact partial results of the vote.[388][389] The results from Italy published after the contest were different to the ones aired.[390] Following the contest, RTVSLO called the televoting results into question, citing its doubts in the validity of the Slovenian vote, as well as questioning the introduction of the Rest of the World vote.[381]

Disqualification of the Netherlands from the final

During the first dress rehearsal for the final, the Dutch representative Joost Klein did not appear for his performance despite being present during the flag parade. An EBU press release said it was "investigating an incident reported to [it] involving the Dutch artist", as well as that "he [would] not be rehearsing until further notice".[391][392] He was also not present for the jury show, and a recording of his performance from the second semi-final was used there instead.[393]

The incident occurred backstage shortly after Klein's performance in the second semi-final, and involved a female camera operator, who filed a complaint against Klein to the Swedish Police Authority.[394] Klein was claimed to have made a threatening gesture toward the operator,[394][395] following the female camera operator's recording of Klein on his way to the green room; AVROTROS claimed it was agreed he would not be filmed there.[394][396][397] Further details of the altercation are unclear; however, the Swedish Police Authority stated that no assault had occurred.[398] AVROTROS and its parent broadcasting organisation NPO held discussions with the EBU,[399] ultimately leading the EBU to disqualify the Dutch entry from the final.[160] This was the first time in the contest's history that an entrant was disqualified after qualifying for the final, since the semi-finals were introduced.[400] AVROTROS called the penalty "very heavy and disproportionate".[395]

Enforcement of flag policy

Swiss winner Nemo claimed in a press conference after their win that the non-binary flag had been banned by the EBU from the venue,[401] accusing the organisers of "double standards" regarding the alleged forcing of fans to dispose of their flags before entering the venue.[402] The singer, who identifies as non-binary and was the first openly non-binary performer to win the contest,[403][404] admitted to violating this by bringing a non-binary flag in, which they displayed in the green room.[405][406] The European Commission's vice president, Margaritis Schinas, also claimed on 13 May that the flag of the European Union (EU) was among those not permitted; he later filed a formal complaint to the EBU,[407] after calling it a "gift" for the "enemies of Europe", a month ahead of the 2024 European Parliament election.[408] The EBU responded by stating that "SVT's policy was to allow the flags of the participating countries and the rainbow flags," that there had not been an express ban on the EU flag in the written policy, and that "due to heightened geopolitical tensions, the flag policy was more rigorously enforced by security at this year's event." It also stated that it would review the flag policy with the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR), which is set to host the 2025 contest following Nemo's win.[409]

Reception

Following the 2024 contest, four entries entered the Billboard Global 200 chart dated 25 May 2024: the Netherlands' "Europapa" at number 51, Switzerland's winning entry "The Code" at number 52, Croatia's "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" at number 139, and France's "Mon amour" at number 144.[410] On the Billboard Global Excl. US chart also dated 25 May 2024, the four aforementioned entries entered at numbers 24, 21, 64, and 61, respectively, followed by Italy's "La noia" at number 129 and Ukraine's "Teresa & Maria" at number 130.[411][412] "La noia" had previously peaked at number 51 on the Global Excl. US chart and at number 110 on the Global 200 chart following its win at the Sanremo Music Festival 2024, which also doubled as the Italian national final.[413]

Official album

Eurovision Song Contest: Malmö 2024 is the official compilation album of the contest, featuring all 37 entries. It was put together by the European Broadcasting Union and was released by Universal Music Group digitally on 12 April 2024, in CD format on 19 April 2024, and in vinyl format on 24 May 2024.[414][415][416]

Charts

Weekly chart performance for Eurovision Song Contest: Malmö 2024
Chart (2024)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[417]22
Belgian Compilation Albums (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[418]1
Belgian Compilation Albums (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[419]1
Croatian International Albums (HDU)[420]7
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[421]6
Danish Compilation Albums (Tracklisten)[422]7
Dutch Compilation Albums (Compilation Top 30)[423]1
Finnish Physical Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[424]8
German Compilation Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[425]1
Greek Albums (IFPI)[426]9
Irish Compilation Albums (IRMA)[427]1
Italian Physical Albums (FIMI)[428]20
Polish Physical Albums (ZPAV)[429]32
Slovak Albums (ČNS IFPI)[430]15
Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[431]3
Swiss Compilation Albums (Swiss Hitparade)[432]1
UK Compilation Albums (OCC)[433]1
US Top Compilation Albums (Billboard)[434]7

Notes

References